Information about RIT graduate costs and financial options is available here.

Graduate Assistantships

RIT is not a traditional research university that supports a large number of graduate students with research or teaching assistantships. However, a limited number of Graduate Assistantship (GA) positions are available to new, full-time, on-campus IT graduate students entering in fall term for a maximum of one (1) academic year: fall, winter, and spring terms only. GA students work with department faculty or staff to support our students or facilities. Positions are not renewable for the next academic year. The GA application is available from the IT office or it is available for download as an Adobe pdf document. Applications for 2008-9 are due to the IT Graduate Coordinator by March 14th, 2008. Contact information is available here. Awards are made once a year, in mid-April, for the following academic year. After all awards have been granted, no further assistantships are available until the next academic year.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

The Department of Information Technology hires students to work with the IT faculty as teaching assistants for its undergraduate studio classes and lab sections. Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) positions are available to matriculated IT graduate students studying on campus. GTA positions are guaranteed for three (3) academic terms (fall, winter, and spring quarters only) for one academic year. The application form is available through the IT office or it is available for download as an Adobe pdf document. Applications are due to the IT Graduate Coordinator by July 31st. Contact information is available here. Awards are made once a year, by September 1st, for the academic year.

Other Assistantships at RIT

Residence Life within the RIT Division of Student Affairs (Campus and Residence Life, Orientation, the Women's Center, the RIT Leadership Institute, and Student Conduct and Mediation Services) offers several graduate assistantship positions for both incoming and returning students. These positions are very attractive for students since they can provide a stipend, on-campus housing, and a partial meal plan along with invaluable leadership, conflict resolution, and teamwork experience. Priority is typically given to applicants who apply by March 31, 2008 and who can participate in the April 11, 2008 on-campus interview process. In-person interviews are strongly encouraged; however, alternate arrangements can be worked out for students who are unable to attend. Information is available at the Residential Life website; more information and an online application are available at the Student Affairs website.

The Department of Part-Time Enrollment and Graduate Services offers a partial assistantship to an IT graduate student to support their online marketing activities by working as their webmaster. They look for an individual with both client- and server-side web development experience who can maintain their official website and recommend improvements in the site's structure and dynamic functionality. Contact them for more information.

Department Scholarships

The Deborah Cahn Memorial scholarship is awarded to one or more outstanding graduate students matriculated in the MS/Information Technology program each year, in memory of one of our prior graduate students in this degree program. The application process occurs in winter term, and award(s) are announced by early spring term. The award has been granted for the 2008-8 academic year.

Merit Scholarships

A Merit Scholarship may be available to matriculated IT students who are receiving little or no financial support from an employer or other funding sources. Scholarships are usually granted at admission based on prior academic performance or employment background, and are typically continued as long as the student is actively matriculated. The award can be used towards either full- or part-time study.

The IT Graduate Program Coordinator makes all decisions as to scholarship eligibility and award levels. To be eligible for the maximum amount for a given quarter, you must be in good academic standing (have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 or better) and have completed all prerequisite courses before the start of the quarter. Students who have not completed all of the program prerequisite courses, may or may not be awarded a merit scholarship at the discretion of the Graduate Program Coordinator. If a prerequisite course is completed at another university, you must have an official transcript sent to RIT.

Merit Scholarship Renewal

The merit scholarship must be renewed yearly and is generally awarded for the fall, winter and spring quarters of the current academic year. If you plan to study in the summer quarter or take courses in the next academic year, you need to submit a scholarship renewal request form to the IT office. The form is available through the IT office or it can be downloaded here as an Adobe pdf document .

Financial Statement

Generally, the scholarship appears on financial statements that you receive after you register for courses. However, the exact amount of the scholarship is not credited to your account until Add/Drop week is over. At that time, the exact amount of the scholarship is awarded to your account since your total number of credits is set for the quarter.

Request for Additional Scholarship

The IT Graduate Program Coordinator frequently receives requests to increase scholarship amounts and in nearly all cases the requests must be denied. We realize that a student's financial situation may change due to unforeseen circumstances; if this should occur, please feel free to contact the Graduate Coordinator. For example, if you previously had tuition reimbursement from your employer and the situation has changed, the Graduate Coordinator may be able to offer some assistance. However, please understand that the Graduate Coordinator has very limited capabilities to increase the amount of a scholarship award.

In addition, please be aware that the IT Department does not increase the amount of a scholarship based on the student's level of academic success. Once a merit scholarship has been granted, we assume that all of the student will strive to do his or her best at all times.

Other Sources of Financial Aid

To be honest, there are not many additional sources of assistance. A student can apply for a federal guaranteed loan. The amount of the loan is based on the difference between your available funds and the cost of the program. If you are a foreign student, you need a co-signer who is an American citizen or permanent resident. Contact the Financial Aid Office in the Bausch & Lomb Building or check their website for assistance.

For international students, the International Student Office has a very limited amount of money for students who are in a desperate situation. In addition, the International Student Office awards its own scholarships. The application is available in November and is due in early December. The awards are based on the documented financial need and the academic performance of the student.

Employment Opportunities

On Campus Jobs

Full-time students can work on campus up to twenty (20) hours per week. Various job opportunities are available on campus. These will not be sufficient to pay your tuition bill. However, the money can be used to supplement your living expenses. RIT holds a "Job Fair" every fall quarter, and students can visit the Student Employment Office in the basement of the Student Alumni Union to find out what positions are available at any given time.

Department of Information Technology

The Department of Information Technology hires undergraduate and graduate students to work in our various labs and classes on an "as needed" basis. The IT labs employ the largest number of students to assist students with general lab usage, answer questions and monitoring equipment. Contact the IT Lab Manager at the email address below to express your interest to work in the labs. The specialized labs require more knowledge in the discipline of the lab. Contact these lab managers if you have background and interest in the specialized area.

IT Computer Labs	Email
IT Lab Manager	labman@it.rit.edu
Multimedia Lab Manager	mmlabman@it.rit.edu
Database Lab Manager	dblabman@it.rit.edu

Teaching Assistant

The Department of Information Technology hires graduate students to assist the faculty in various courses. When you arrive on campus, you can find a form outside of the IT office that shows for which courses the department typically needs support. You can apply if a course requires skills that match your background. However, please be aware that job availability varies each quarter depending upon student enrollment and faculty availability.

Information and Technology Services (ITS)

ITS, RIT's division for computing support, hires students to work in various capacities. When you arrive at campus, you can find out about job opportunities by visit the ITS Help Desk in Building 7B Room 1113.

Distributed Support Services

The DSS division of ITS provides the colleges and divisions within RIT with computing support for their faculty, staff, and labs. DSS hires a large number of undergraduate and graduate student to work in their labs located in many different buildings on campus and to work on projects for departments and faculty members. To find employment opportunities, visit the DSS web site here.

Note Taking for NTID Students

RIT has a large population of deaf students. For classes with at least one deaf student, RIT supplies a professional to interpret the lecture into sign language. In addition, RIT hires a student, usually a member of the class, to take notes for the deaf students. Highly legible handwriting and note taking skills are required.

When you arrive on campus, you can contact Patricia Rahalewicz by telephone at 475-6049 or by email at parnpa@rit.edu.

Food Service

Jobs are available in the various cafeterias on campus. You can apply for these jobs when you are on campus by meeting the manager of the cafeteria. The major cafeterias are Gracies (Grace Watson Residence Hall dining hall), Student Alumni Union (SAU) Cafeteria (SAU building) and the Ritz (SAU building).

Cost of Program

Click here for RIT's graduate program and per-credit tution costs for the current academic year